Author: Game Infliction

These Are The Best Board Game Deals Right Now (February 2024)

When it comes to game night, it’s always a great idea to have a variety of board games around for people to choose from. Unfortunately, building that collection of games can oftentimes cost you more than you’d expect. Have no fear, though, as we’re here to help you out with a variety of deals on board games that are worth picking up.

TL;DR – The Best Board Game Deals

This doesn’t just cater to events like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, either. We try to find deals on the best board games all throughout the year, so you can buy your favorites without breaking the bank. Below, you can find a selection of the best board game deals at the moment.

The Best Board Game Deals

Board Games: Budget to Best

For when board games aren’t on sale, it’s nice to know you still have options that don’t cost you tons of money. Here, we’ll point you in the direction of more affordable board games that are still worth the investment for your next game night.

When Is the Best Time to Find Board Game Deals?

Board games go on sale at sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and even GameStop fairly regularly — you can generally find special discounts every month or two. In addition, they absolutely get big discounts during major sale events like Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday.

While Prime Day is primarily an Amazon shopping holiday, other retailers always put on competing sales events at the same time. Those are great times to look for board game deals.

As for Black Friday, it’s not just a one-day event: you can often find deals on board games the whole week of Black Friday, as well as on Cyber Monday and throughout that whole following week. Keep in mind that stock runs out (particularly at Amazon), so if you see a good price on a board game you want during one of these major sale events, grab it before it’s gone.

How to Know if it’s Really a Good Board Game Deal

At online board game retailers like Amazon and Walmart, prices are always in flux, to say the least. Many of the board games in the board game section will be discounted to some degree from their MSRP. But there are a few ways to know when a board game is on sale for a notable discount.

For one, you can check Amazon’s daily deals page, where you’ll occasionally find an actual sale on various board games. Sometimes these are from one company, sometimes they’re on the whole category of board games. Target also periodically runs sales on board games, so check their deal page, too.

If you’re looking at a board game and are wondering if the sale price is good, copy the URL and paste it into the search field at camelcamelcamel. That’s an Amazon price tracker that shows you price history. Better yet, it works for any item, not just board games.

Finally, you can follow IGN Deals on Twitter, where we’ll always tweet any notable board game deals we come across.

How Do You Know if a Board Game Is Any Good?

IGN reviews board games fairly regularly, so you can always search to see if we’ve reviewed a game you’re considering picking up. Other websites do, too. We also have a whole lot of board game roundups, ranging from the best classic board games and the best cooperative board games to the best horror board games.

Outside of IGN, the best board game resource around (for my money) is Board Game Geek. It maintains a database of every board and card game you’d want to know about, with all kinds of news, stats, and user reviews all gathered together in one place.

Apex Legends Season 20’s skill trees see the battle royale take a surprising MOBA turn

I’ve played Apex Legends Season 20, and it might be the fastest and fiercest that the battle royale FPS has ever been – while also being the richest in tactical opportunities and metagame theorycrafting. It’s all thanks to a drastically expanded Evo experience system, one that now not only boosts your shield capacity, but unlocks the branches of a MOBA-style skill tree that permanently buffs your character for the duration of a match. Even for a season with no new playable Legend to headline, it’s an update that feels exciting and genuinely game-changing – if a little scary at the same time.

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 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – Meet Lost Ghosts and Determine Their Fate in Haunting Cases

Hi everyone, we are Elise Galmard, Lead Narrative Designer, and Simon Svoboda, Lead Level Designer at Don’t Nod. We’re a part of the team bringing you Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a supernatural tale of two lovers and ancient secrets.

In this supernatural Action-RPG, play as two ghost hunters and lovers who face impossible choices that harbor dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead.

From February 13, you’ll get the chance to sift through the shadows of the past in New Eden, but before then we’d love to give you a glimpse into the world. Today we’re talking all about haunting cases, a common form of quest you’ll encounter in Banishers.

Behind The Veil

Our game universe is set in the world of the 17th century as we know it, with one major difference: the world is plagued with curses and ghost hauntings.

During a Haunting Case, you will find ghosts that are still attached to the world of the living, which you as a Banisher, will be asked to investigate and solve. Haunting Cases serve as side quests in our game.

A ghost is the lingering spirit of a dead person, holding onto some of their memories and feelings. Bound to the Incarnate world (the world of the living) by unresolved emotion that takes the form of an item called the Soul-tie, a ghost is also attached to one or more living beings, forever linked and wandering until you set them free. You must discover the truth behind each lingering ghost and why they’re here.

With time, all ghosts will decay and turn into specters: entities reduced to their base primal emotion, and with no memory or personality. This dilution of their humanity – also called paling – can be resisted if they feed from the surrounding life force. Indeed, the only way for a ghost to sustain themselves in the Incarnate is to feed on the essence of the living to keep their hold and grow stronger. That is the main reason as to why Banishers dispatch the dead: to protect the life force of the living, and to keep ghosts from paling into terrible, forever hungry spirits.

In the game you’ll encounter characters with deep secrets and concealed truth. For instance, you’ll uncover the story of an anxious wife awaiting her husband’s return, only to later realize that she had taken his life to escape an abusive marriage. As Banishers, a crucial choice awaits. Wil you blame her, seeking retribution for murder? Or will you banish the soul of her departed, abusive and revengeful husband?

Reveal The Unsaid and Bring Closure

To bring Closure, a Banisher needs to investigate and gather Hints on all people and ghosts involved in the case to understand everyone’s Intent.

In the case’s final moments, the Banishers will be presented with a choice to solve the situation. Three different solutions are available: releasing, banishing, or blaming the people and spirit involved. Ascending the departed souls allow them to find peace, whereas banishing lead them to infinite torment in a realm where souls wander without finding any solace. Blaming on the other hand, is a darker path where that involves a sacrifice: taking the life of the living to feed Antea with their soul.

Each decision that you take during the game will have a consequence on the remaining settlers. Each choice will have an impact and lead to different outcomes, especially for Red and Antea.

In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, you’ll fall into a powerful and intimate narrative. We have put a lot of ourselves in each of the stories and narrative branches. We can’t wait for you to discover the game on Xbox Series X|S on February 13!

The post  Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – Meet Lost Ghosts and Determine Their Fate in Haunting Cases appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Until Then unpacks the trauma of loss in this narrative adventure

Until Then is an indie game with unexpectedly profound things to say and a breathtaking art style set among Philippine-inspired landscapes. Don’t mistake its simplistic controls for a lack of substance—from its addictively mundane minigames to its meaningful look at healing from trauma. This game has the potential to stand among the classics in the narrative adventure genre.

Until Then unravels a bittersweet story of mystery and tragedy, unpacking the trauma of loss through the eyes of the main character, high school student Mark Borja. In a world still recovering from catastrophe, Mark and his friends navigate the joys and woes of another year of high school—piano practice, homework deadlines, and school drama— as you reminisce about the daily insecurities of high school life.

That is, until a fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction, upending Mark’s life. People

disappear, and memories prove unreliable. You’ll work to uncover a hidden truth with Mark and his friends in this narrative adventure as you race to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.


Until Then unpacks the trauma of loss in this narrative adventure

An emotional rollercoaster blending tearful moments with delightful fun

Throughout Until Then, you’ll meet a diverse and achingly familiar cast of characters to converse with in person, over text, and through email. Watch how their personal stories unfold alongside yours as you get to know them, build relationships, and possibly flunk group projects.

Weave through familiar, busy corridors in your school uniform, wake to the roosters’ crows, and calls for Tahooooo! (a popular local sweet snack) and, of course, don’t miss the train for your morning commute. Immerse yourself in the sights and songs of the daily lives of Filipino students, barreling their way through high school in a rich and intricate city inspired by Metro Manila and the developers’ alma maters.

Attribution: Rizal Provincial Government 

The game confronts you with philosophical issues as you walk alongside Mark as he makes mistakes and struggles to heal his wounds and let go of the past. Decide how Mark grows and strives to improve throughout the story.

Moments of relief from tear-jerking topics come in the form of comical and engaging minigames that you won’t want to put down. Insert a flash drive—oh wait, wrong way—nope, it was right the first time. Help Mark practice for his piano recital. Enjoy minigames inspired by Filipino life as well: Fight your friend for more fishballs at the food stand outside. Get in the groove to pay for the jeepney, a unique local mode of transport. Until Then lets you lose yourself in little games you play in everyday life.

Uncomplicated side-scrolling mechanics

You are seamlessly guided through the world of Until Then as you walk your character through the environment and interact with items and people. The dialogue—chatting with friends or texting with your in-game smartphone—often drives the story forward with new information and context for the strange occurrences Mark starts to experience. You can also explore the depths of social media, where your likes and comments may pose consequences. Scrolling through social posts, emails, and webpages might reveal further hints and clues about the people and world around you, so keep your eyes peeled.

Investigating the mystery will take you to all sorts of places, from a warm evening playing games at the local fair to the ruins of a coastal town marred by catastrophe. Take your time to walk around, see the sights, and interact with the environment to discover more about this bright and vivid world.

Concept Art provided by Polychroma Games

A love letter from the developers

Polychroma Games is a team of talented developers based in the Philippines, entwining the interactivity of play and the power of stories. Until Then was born from our desire to create stories that only games can tell.

The game itself is a love letter to youth in the Philippines. From small details in the background to major motifs in the setting of the fictional cities of Liamson and Bonifacio, we wanted to show a world that would celebrate the rich and diverse culture that shaped our own lives.

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Attribution: Google Maps

We also wanted emotions that would resonate—a story familiar to everyone, which would resound in anyone’s heart even after playing. We wanted to tell a story of growing up, navigating relationships as time changes us, and coming to terms with loss.

Creating this game and its story wasn’t easy. It involved quite a few leaps of faith, and trusting that people would see and feel the heart we put into it, that people would want to see a story about some random kids in a Philippines touched by tragedy. Prepare to be swept off your feet into immersive storytelling, stunning pixelated visuals, intricate plots, and unforgettable characters when you come face-to-face with the mysterious world of Until Then. Wishlist Until Then now on PS5.

Final Fantasy 14 Requires Game Pass Subscription to Play on Xbox

The Xbox version of Final Fantasy 14 requires a Game Pass subscription on top of the massively multiplayer role-playing game’s own monthly cost.

Tucked into a blog post revealing the Xbox version’s open beta begins on February 21 at 12 midnight Pacific / 3am Eastern / 8am UK, Square Enix revealed that, unlike PlayStation, Xbox players will have to pay for two subscriptions to play Final Fantasy 14.

“The Free Trial version, including the open beta test, will not require an Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) plan to play,” Square Enix said. “However, the full Xbox Series X and S version will require an Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) plan to play.”

A 30 day subscription to the game costs $14.99, 90 days costs $41.97, and 180 days costs $77.94. Xbox Game Pass Core, which is the cheapest tier, costs $9.99, $24.99 for three months, or $59.99 for a year. The cheapest Xbox players could play Final Fantasy 14 for per month is therefore $17.98 if they commit to the longest possible subscription of each. Xbox players will otherwise pay $24.98 if they choose to pay for both on a monthly basis.

PlayStation players are not required to own a PlayStation Plus subscription to play Final Fantasy 14, leaving many fans confused over why the Xbox equivalent is required. PC players don’t require any additional subscriptions either.

“Mind boggling decision,” said Super on ResetEra. “Xbox will be the only platform where you need paid online and the game subscription to play.” Yam’s chimed in too: “Greedy move. Not like you have time to benefit from a Game Pass subscription while playing an MMO.”

The blog post also confirmed the game will fully release on Xbox immediately upon the open beta’s conclusion, though it didn’t offer any idea as to when this may be.

In our 9/10 review of the game’s latest expansion, IGN said: “Final Fantasy 14’s Endwalker expansion brings its longest story arc to a satisfying close and cements its place as one of the best Final Fantasy stories ever told.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Naughty Dog have a Last Of Us Part 3 “concept” and it’s not the previously revealed “small story” about Tommy

Naughty Dog’s grand panjandrum (co-president) Neil Druckmann has a concept in mind for The Last Of Us: Part 3, following on from the original PlayStation 3 action-adventure’s tale of parental love and the PS4 game’s theme of “justice at any cost”. This isn’t confirmation that a third single player Last Of Us game is in development, with Druckmann reiterating comments from this time last year that Naughty Dog feel no obligation to continue the tale. Nonetheless, “it does feel like there’s probably one more chapter to this story.” Will we ever really see the last of The Last Of Us?

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Screenshot Saturday Mondays: Flushing the urinal and kiting the rat ball

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter’s #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. We’re a bit short this week because of the rolling technical disaster that is modern Twitter, but I’ve still enjoyed ogling everything from a must-have immersive sim feature and a very unpleasant nighttime drive to lovely simulated water and strange spaceship shenanigans. Check out all these attractive and interesting indie games!

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Random: This Zelda: TOTK Rupee Glitch Might Be The Easiest We’ve Seen

Early game dolla.

Remember back in the early days of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom when money-making glitches ran rampant across Hyrule? Ah, simpler times. Of course, a lot of these were patched shortly after they were discovered, but it was only going to be a matter of time before a new one ascended into view.

Well, surprise! There is a new one out there and it looks to be pretty darn simple (as long as you are in the early game, that is).

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Drops to $39.99 at Best Buy Two Months After Release

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has dropped a significant $30 from its MSRP in a brand new sale at Best Buy. It’s down to just $39.99 for PS5 and Xbox, marking a serious saving on a game that came out just less than two months ago on December 7, 2023.

From what we can tell, this is the best price on the game at the moment, compared to the $50 pricepoint that is being offered at Amazon and Target. As they say, it can pay to be a patient gamer. If the $70 pricepoint was too steep for you, this new sale might just hit the sweet spot for many of us to pull the trigger on the latest entry into the famous franchise.

IGN reviewer Tristan Ogilvie gave the game a 7/10 in his review, stating: “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora features a stunning alien world to explore with a refreshingly uncluttered approach to navigation, countless enemy bases to destroy and Na’vi clan sidequests to complete, and no shortage of exotic flora and fauna to harvest and hunt.

“However, its combat is pretty one-dimensional, its mission design is a bit on the repetitive side, and its environment is generally lacking in any major surprises beyond visual splendor, meaning that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a solid shooting adventure that’s more inside the box than truly out of this world.

A Ubisoft exec has recently stated that gamers will need to get “comfortable” not owning their games for subscription models to take off. This comes after the launch of Ubisofts revamped subscription model titled Ubisoft+ Premium — which now costs $17.99/month and conceded with the recent launch of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

Other gaming and tech deals to consider right now include Super Mario Bros. Wonder dropping down to just $49.99, alongside the 2023 Alienware Aurora RTX 4090 gaming PC for $3299.99 ($400 instant discount), and $100 off an Apple Watch Series 9 in the latest sales.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.